


Conjoined

by Ricky_E



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: After the Fall, Domestic Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter, Hannibal teaches Will how to cook, I'd die for Lily, Will and Hannibal are trying to build a new life, Will comes to terms with his own nature, becoming, her name's Lily, post-season 3, runaways - Freeform, there's a cute stray dog involved
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 09:02:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26969434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ricky_E/pseuds/Ricky_E
Summary: Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter survived the fall. Feeling he has to keep the seasoned killer busy so that his loved ones can live safely, Will rents a cottage for them to share. He adopts a dog, gets back to fishing, but his gaze never leaves the doctor for long. Hannibal is mostly content with the arrangement – with one crucial exception: their relationship is more strained than it has ever been.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Kudos: 19





	Conjoined

"I was hoping I would find a German edition. I am quite fond of the language, you see," Hannibal was telling the young bookseller who, by the way she was looking at him, wasn't accustomed to people talking nicely to her.

Of course, Hannibal had memorized most of Goethe's writing, but he missed his cultural life form Baltimore. A dusty bookshop in the middle of Yorkshire was the closest thing to that.

"Would you mind checking again? Maybe I could help," he purred, harboring a smile to die for.

Will Graham watched him from the busy street outside, a hint of annoyance in his frown. Hannibal couldn't help from playing with the food, even if he knew he wasn't allowed to eat it. In many ways, Hannibal was like a cat, Alana had said.

Will wondered what had become of her. At least Alana still had Margot and their little boy, while he had to flee from his family to keep them safe from the wrath of The Great Red Dragon. He had since slain him, but was now on the run with his - better said _, their_ \- puppeteer, Hannibal Lecter himself. As long as Will kept him busy, everybody else had a chance to survive. Or that's what he liked to tell himself. It was easier to think of Hannibal as the snake who had poisoned him years ago when they first met while investigating The Chesapeake Ripper. The psychiatrist had ruined his life forever, making him abandon everything he had ever loved, everything he might have loved at some point just to break him.

 _"See. This is all I ever wanted for you, Will. For both of us."_ Hannibal had said after they had slain The Dragon.

 _"It's beautiful."_ Will had replied with such abandon it made his skin crawl every time he thought about it.

It was too much. The former profiler turned around, but he didn't move any further. Yes, he could physically walk away from Hannibal, but what good would that be when he couldn't run from himself, the man he became since he had met the doctor?

No.

The man he had always been.

It pained him greatly to acknowledge the truth. All his life he immersed himself in the minds of the others, thinking that finding and putting criminals behind bars was the right thing to do. What he actually needed was to satiate his own urges through the deeds of murderers, mentally tasting the blood of their victims while keeping his hands clean.

Every newspaper and mental illness specialist had deemed dr. Hannibal Lecter an atrocious deviance of nature. He himself thought the same in the beginning because it made him feel good. It made him distance himself from the facts.

But now he couldn't help but wonder – .

"Will."

Hannibal's touch on his shoulder didn't make him nervous. Not anymore. Not after the doctor's hands nursed him back to health after they had fallen from the cliff on that full moon night. Will turned and gazed at the book Hannibal had bought without needing it. His last thought coming back to him, Will wondered which one of them was the true Mephistopheles.

Without another word, the two men started walking back to their rented cottage. The girl waved at them from behind the shop window, but without receiving an answer. Hannibal had gotten bored with the appetizer and was eager for the main course.

*

After that night's pleasant dinner, they lounged a while longer in the parlor. Hannibal was leafing through the new book, revisiting old friends and experiences stored deep within his mind palace, while Will gazed at the lively fireplace. The flames danced one around another, forever trying to catch each other but failing. Its familiarity struck a deep chord within him.

No matter how hard he had tried to build himself a normal life in the past, Hannibal had stepped in, poisoning his relationship with every woman he had cared about.

The doctor had given him Abigail as a child, then mercilessly killed her. He had taken Alana, twisting and changing her forever. He had manipulated Margot into sleeping with Will only to play with both their minds. Ultimately, he had set The Dragon after Molly. Fortunately, she had escaped but Will did not dare to think about her scars - his brave wife, now forever out of reach.

Yet there was a woman who was still herself after dying for Will, as she had put it. Ruthless. Fierce. The traitorous red-haired Freddie Lounds. How she would laugh if she could see them now!

"What are you thinking about, Will?"

"I was wondering how our arrangement would sound like one of Freddie's headlines."

"Please, do tell."

"Murder Husbands and old dog try to blend in the rural English landscape", Will said bluntly.

"And are doing a rather good job, if I can say so myself", added Hannibal, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

Will took a sip of wine, only to hide his own amusement. But another memory crept into his mind, a sudden wave of dread washing over him as he heard a familiar voice from the past.

_'If I am to be Bluebeard's wife, I would have preferred to be the last.'_

There had been a time when Will had thought he would be the one to end the horrors even if he had to sacrifice himself. But things had taken a strange turn, so here he was, dining with the monster he had chosen to marry.

Will wasn't afraid. After all the pain and betrayal, they were standing as equals, and - he had to admit to himself - that was the most exciting part of his life. Hannibal had seen behind his carefully-built facade from the start and now that he could show his true self was liberating. Will had jumped from that cliff, thinking he was going to die, but instead, he was reborn. Hannibal had witnessed it all.

Hannibal put the closed book on the table and looked at him. Feeling that predatory gaze burning him used to unnerve him in the past. But things were different now, since. Will didn't have anything to hide or to protect anymore. All he had was Hannibal's company, the rescued dog, and the cottage.

And the doctor was always so polite, always in a mood for a nice talk, a silent walk or a glass of wine, without sharp replies or any attempts to mess with his mind again. That must have been the side of him Hannibal showed Abigail to earn her trust before cutting her throat.

Will placed the empty glass on the table, feeling awfully sober.

"I'm going to bed", he announced.

"See you tomorrow, Will", Hannibal said, as he watched Will picking up Lily and going upstairs.

He listened and heard the unmistakable sound of the latch being pulled on the younger man's door. Hannibal tried not to be too disappointed, but he couldn't help but wonder if things would ever be different between them. He knew Will needed time, but he felt he was running out of patience.


End file.
